Indonesian Navy to bring home illegal migrants

JAKARTA (JP): An Indonesian Navy transportation ship will depart Malaysia on Tuesday to bring home 1,759 illegal migrants.

The Tanjung Oisina will depart from Pasir Gudang harbor in Johor Baru, Malaysia, and is scheduled to arrive at Tanjung Perak harbor in Surabaya, East Java, on May 10. The ship will sail on to West Nusa Tenggara and dock at Lembar harbor three days later.

The destinations were apparently chosen because more than two- thirds of those to be repatriated are from the two provinces.

According to a statement from the Indonesian foreign ministry yesterday, 859 of the illegal migrants hail from East Java, 599 from West Nusa Tenggara, 185 from Central Java, and the rest from areas including West Java and East Nusa Tenggara.

Malaysian authorities caught the illegal migrants in a recent immigration sweep aimed at reducing the number of illegal workers in their country.

The Indonesian foreign ministry in its statement said the two countries would continue to forge close cooperation in various fields, including legitimate employment opportunities.

"The two governments would like to see the entry of Indonesian workers into Malaysia using methods and procedures which are in accordance with established regulations," the statement said.

It added that opportunities to work in the neighboring country were still available, especially in the industrial, plantation and household sectors.

The foreign ministry also said that the Indonesian embassy faced difficulties in monitoring and protecting the rights of the illegal workers since they did not register with the embassy.

"The handling of illegal Indonesian migrant workers must be conducted in a thorough manner which does not affect the long established and friendly bilateral relations between Indonesia and Malaysia," the ministry said.

Nearly 800,000 Indonesians are estimated to work legally in Malaysia. The number of illegal workers is thought to be as high as 200,000. (mds)